


Simple As This

by emmablowguns



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, College, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Making Out, POV Third Person Limited, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:00:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4196490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmablowguns/pseuds/emmablowguns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scully and Mulder meet in college. Scully grows flowers and Mulder steals them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some chapters are short, Some of them will be longer than others, but I just wanted to separate them to show time passing / changing ideas. You'll see.

When Dana Scully first moved to this university, her dorm room had seemed exciting, exhilarating. It was her first home away from home, a space where she could decorate that walls however she wanted. At the the time, a room to share with a roommate seemed more than reasonable. Moreover, she was happy to share that space with someone.

However, it got old fast. By the second semester, she had steadily ran out of space to hold her various textbooks, let alone her clothes and belongings. And while she liked her roommate Rebecca, Scully could tell that some space was needed, especially considering all the guests her roommate liked to entertain. She was tired of falling asleep in the hallway and studying in the library until 4 AM because Rebecca had someone over. Three was a crowd after all and Scully couldn't spend one more night pretending to be asleep while her roommate made noises she didn't even believe were human.

So obviously a change was in order, and Scully had just the solution.

She approached the subject with Rebecca after much deliberation who, unlike Scully, tended to be very emotional.

"I was thinking..." She began, hesitantly. "Maybe we should consider... Alternate housing?"

Rebecca had misunderstood immediately, in part due to the awkward wording on Scully's part.

"You don't want to be roommates anymore, Dana?" The twinge in Rebecca's voice nearly broke her heart.

"No! Not at all! I just..." Scully sighed, opting for the more direct approach. "I'm tired of the dorms."

"The communal showers don't really have the appeal they once did." Rebecca laughed good naturedly, much to Scully's relief.

The two girls smiled, Rebecca had been feeling exactly the same.

"I know we both work, so I figured we could save for an affordable house nearby." As her roommate became more and more receptive to the idea, Scully became more bold in her suggestions.

"That's a great idea!" Rebecca replied enthusiastically, only causing Scully to become more excited.

"Hopefully something with two bedrooms just because-"

"It makes sense, right." Rebecca replied naturally. She hugged Scully, an action that caught her off guard momentarily.

"Don't worry Dana! We'll find something great. This is gonna be awesome. I'll call my parents, maybe they can chip in as well!" And with that, she was off to the pay phones to contact her large family with even deeper pockets.

Scully smiled at her dorm walls, pleased to know that the conversation had gone well and that soon she'd be looking at the walls of her new house.


	2. Chapter 2

Scully's eyes scanned the shelves for any books with "gardening" in the name. Since moving into her new house, she had wanted to do something with their spacious front yard.

This bookstore was not her usual go to place for books, but it had been the closest and she had wanted to explore the new environment. However, she now realized it was some kind of book store specializing only in science fiction novels. The dwindling section labeled "non-fiction" had been a ray of hope, but she quickly found that it only contained conspiracy theorist books. Just about to throw in the towel, Scully turned to leave when she noticed someone who had been gawking at her and was unsuccessfully trying to hide it.

"Excuse me?" Scully said, eyelids lowered in annoyance.

The man shook his head, as if startled by Scully's sudden voice.

"Yeah, I saw you staring. What do you want?" She had no tolerance for creepy guys, especially in a place like this.

"Oh! Sorry. I couldn't help staring. I kinda know everyone in this area and I'd never seen you here before."

He didn't look particularly creepy at all. In fact, he was almost kind of cute. The thought skittered over her mind only briefly before confusion set in.

"Uh... Yeah. I'm new. Do you always stare at people?" She was trying to be as abrasive as possible to avoid making any weird friends. Scully didn't care too much for aliens or conspiracy theories. She wanted to focus on her studies with like minded individuals, this place was not where she wanted to find them.

"I could probably recommend you some stuff, if you'd like." The man said, a suggestion that only made Scully scoff and roll her eyes.

"I don't even really believe in this kinda stuff anyway." She gestured to the "non-fiction" section as an example of her point.

Scully thought an admission like that would rock him, seeing as he appeared to be a regular here, but it did just the opposite. It seemed that the more she disagreed with him, the more delighted this man became. It was almost as if he were looking for a fight. Not necessarily to prove her wrong, but instead just to debate someone.

"If you don't believe in this stuff, why are you here?" She could hear the smile in his voice and it nearly made her skin crawl in annoyance.

"I was under the impression that this bookstore would have, you know, other genres? This was a mistake."

Then he did something that surprised her, he laughed. Sighing, Scully turned to go.

"Hey, wait!" He said, following closely behind her as she tried to make a quick getaway. Finally she stopped, realizing it was pointless anyway.

"What?" She snapped, already resigning herself to her strange acquaintance 

"I never caught your name! Mine's Mulder!" He held out his hand, which Scully shook hesitantly.

"What kind of name is that?" She asked, bewildered.

He grinned sheepishly, "Well, my first name is Fox. So-"

"Got it. That's bad."

"What's yours?" He acted as if he hadn't heard that last remark, still grinning like an idiot. It was almost impossible to say no to this guy. Scully sighed again 

"Dana, but if were going by last names it's Scully."

"Dana Scully." He said, repeating the name to himself.

"I should probably go." She said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Will I be seeing you around, Scully?" 

"If this is where you spend all your time, I highly doubt you will."  This time it was her turn to grin.

  
That night, as she poured over the gardening books she had picked up, her mind couldn't stop drifting back to that overly friendly stranger.

Even the next morning when she was buying gardening tools, she had a strange feeling Mulder would have some interesting quips about what fertilizer was best, which gardening tools had secret tracking devices. She amused herself with the details.

While she knew little to nothing about him, she had assumed he was your average level weirdo. Considering he apparently seemed to frequent the strange book shop, it was not too far off to think he'd probably spend his evenings in a basement playing dungeons and dragons. As much as Scully liked to mentally roast him, she had to admit she really knew nothing about Mulder.

In fact, it was not until weeks later that she saw him again.

Scully was at a local gardening store looking for some new gloves when she spotted him. At first she had ducked away, as he didn't seem to notice her, but that was over fast as he spotted her.

"Scully!" He waved, quickly striding over to her. Oh, shit, she thought. Because as much as she day dreamed about him, seeing him was another mess in and of itself. In her mind, he was predictably quirky, it was only in person that she realized how little she knew this man. Nonetheless, she decided she'd play along.

"Mulder." She nodded at him nonchalantly, because even thought Scully was an introvert, she was by no means an asshole.There was no real reason to ignore him, despite the way he persistently set out to irritate her, but of course that wasn't on purpose, right?

"What are you doing here?" Mulder asked cheerily, his relentless chipper attitude similar to that of a puppy.

"Getting gloves."

He looked around "Last I checked, Scully, the gloves were over there." He pointed back the way she had just come from.

"My mistake, I guess." Scully said plainly, starting to head back to the previous aisle. Mulder followed, of course.

"So what do you need gloves for? Burying a body?"

"It's for my garden, actually." She glared up at him.

"Oh really? You have a garden?" His smile clouded for just a second by confusion, but Scully could still see the teasing in his eyes.

"Is that shocking to you?"

"Oh, no. I guess I should've expected someone like you to have a garden."

Now she was confused, but intrigued.

"What's that supposed to mean? Someone like me?"

He laughed, "You know, small and adorable. Like a pixie." Mulder ruffled her hair while Scully slapped his hands away and shot him a dirty look.

"I'm not small! You're freakishly tall!" Scully huffed, turning away from him and grabbing a standard pair of gardening gloves, Mulder chuckling all throughout.

"I don't know, Scully. Are you sure those are the right gloves for you?" She sighed, turning to face him.

"And what gloves do you think would suit me, Mulder?" 

He picked up some gloves with a garishly feminine design, no doubt made for some middle aged stay at home mom, not a major in medicine who happened to like gardening.

"You know, since you're a pixie, or whatever. Right?" Mulder tossed them in her direction, an action which startled Scully and causing her basket, which had been tucked under her arm, to clatter to the floor. She scrambled to pick everything up, groaning in annoyance while Mulder apologized through his giggling.

The brief chaos contained, Scully looked up at him, shooting him a dirty look.

Mulder still had that grin on his face, and it made Scully nearly red in the face with how much fun he was having pestering her. She had half a mind to ignore him, but that was just it; when it came to Mulder her ability to ignore things that annoyed her was tossed out the window. No matter what Mulder said, even when she knew it was just to get under her skin, she had to say something! 

He was baiting her, and she was a weak willed fish, it seemed.

"What are you doing in the daylight? Shouldn't you be off spying on people in that weird bookstore?"

"I do not spy!" He gasped. "And besides, I'm here with friends!"

Scully looked around the empty aisle, "Some friends."

"No, they're here, I swear. We split up to cover more ground."

"I'm sure." She said, rolling her eyes. "You probably just came here to bother some other poor sap."

"No it's true! They run the book-" Suddenly, at that moment, three people ran into the aisle, scrambling for Mulder, apparently.

"See here they are." He grinned, ruffling Scully's hair and turning to face them. Scully huffed again, fixing her hair and glaring at Mulder's back as he greeted the strange, unkempt trio. They talked for awhile about nothing that interested her until she was acknowledged.

"Hey, who's this?" An older man said, pointing at Scully while she tried to find a way out of this situation.

"Oh!" Mulder exclaimed, as if remembering her existence. "This is my.. This is Dana Scully!" He wrapped an arm around Scully, pulling her in close. As she stumbled and sputtered at the sudden contact, she grabbed Mulder to keep from falling. Scully could hear and feel him chuckling before she pulled away.

"We're best friends!" He said, a glint of mischief in his eye.

"No. We're not." She snapped, turning to go. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have a garden to attend to." As she walked, she could hear Mulder's wisecracks, but decided to ignore them in the interest of getting out of there.

"Yeah, she's like a little pixie isn't she? Garden and everything."


	3. Chapter 3

She couldn't stop thinking about what it all meant. The more she met him the more confused she was as to what kind of guy he was, and her thoughts were abuzz with new information. The deep thinking left her quiet, something Rebecca noticed  immediately.

"Is something wrong, Dana?" She asked, concern weighing down her voice. She really was a considerate housemate.

"Oh, I'm alright."

"Are you sure? You've been quiet all night. Something on your mind?"

Scully thought for a second before turning to face Rebecca.

"Rebecca have you heard of someone called Fox Mulder?"

Her eyes widened, out of fear or excitement she didn't know.

"Oh, Spooky? Yeah!"

"Is that what they call him? I'd never heard of him before this week."

Rebecca nodded vigorously, "Yeah, he's a psychology major who got into a fight with one of the professors about aliens or something. He's a total weirdo, everyone on campus thinks so."

Scully couldn't explain it, why she suddenly wanted to come to Mulder's defense. Despite his eccentricities, she could tell he wasn't worth public shaming. However, for her own sake, she kept her mouth shut, nodding solemnly.

"Why do you ask, Dana?"

"I saw him in a bookstore and thought he was...Interesting." She shook her head dismissively, trying to drop the topic.

"How'd you catch his name?" Shit, Rebecca was on to her, but what could she say? Scully didn't want to be labelled Mrs.Spooky! But... It seemed better in the long run to be honest.

"We talked, and I've been seeing him around." Rebecca immediately launched into lists of questions, each one followed by a warning and a lecture. Eventually Scully had to interrupt.

"Rebecca! I was just wondering if you knew anything about him."

"Sorry. You just made it seemed like you were interested in him. He's got an obsessive personality, is all."

"Should I stay away from him?" Scully said, a bit on the defense. As soon as she was told she shouldn't be friends with Mulder, she suddenly wanted to get to know him even more! Her own mind was such a mystery.

"No... Well. Just be careful, I guess? Who knows what you'll get into with him."

It would be those words that would echo in Scully's mind for weeks to come, but as far as she could tell Mulder had disappeared from her life. She didn't see him at all her usual spots, she didn't see him at the stores she frequented, hell, she had even passed the bookstore he frequented just to see if he was still around. As far as she was concerned, Mulder could be on Mars.

She decided to wash her hands of the whole thing and focus on the two things she loved the most: her studies and her garden.

In the months following her foray into all things botanical, Scully's garden bloomed into a hodge podge of colors. From tulips to tomatoes, there was nothing you wouldn't find. Neighbors from around the block would come to see what she would plant next, people walking their dogs would stop to smell the flowers that looped around the metal bars of the fence. Scully was elated.

It was only a few months into this adventure that she began to notice something.

Everyday before her afternoon class, she’d spruce up the garden and tend to all the plants. Scully’s work was quite meticulous, with not a petal out of place. Satisfied with her work, she’d hop on her bike and head off to class.

However once or twice a week, when she’d return from her class she’d notice that some flowers appeared disturbed. Upon further inspection she realized that a lot were missing. Passionate about her garden, Scully had become angry. The nerve of some people! What gave them a right to steal something Scully had worked hard on?

Irrationally angry thoughts flitted through her head, but eventually she reasoned that there was no way to solve this problem until she calmed down. Scully wanted to know who was doing this, but she couldn't just skip class to find this flower thief, so for awhile, the mystery remained unsolved.

It was only until the next Friday that she could skip out early to hopefully catch whoever was doing this. Scully wasn't even entirely sure she'd find the flower thief, but it was a worth a shot and she had finished most of her work for the day anyway.

She nearly fell off her bike when she saw none other than Fox Mulder stealing the Petunias from the edge of Scully's yard.

"Hey!" She called, slowing to a stop. "What are you doing to my garden?"

Mulder jumped, obviously startled by Scully's sudden appearance but nonetheless trying to play it off to appear un-phased.

"Who me?" She had to admit he did look quite adorable with that embarrassed grin on his face, which had begun to flush beet red. Scully pushed the intrusive thoughts from her mind, swapping out childish playground crushes for justified anger.   

"Yes you! I know you're the one whose been stealing my flowers!"

"This is your garden, Scully?"

"Don't play dumb! Who else could it be? You're holding my petunias!"

"That is merely a coincidence." He said, hiding the flowers behind his back. "Did you know you're cute when you're angry?" Mulder chuckled as an attempt to ease the situation, but it only served to anger her further.

"Shut up! So I don't see you for a few months and then you suddenly just start..." Suddenly, it became abundantly clear why Mulder had disappeared.

He had gotten a girlfriend. Of course, being too cheap to buy flowers for this new girl, Mulder had simply resorted to stealing from Scully's garden. Yes, suddenly it all made sense. 

"Take me to her." Scully said firmly, a phrase which greatly alarmed Mulder.

"What do you mean, Scully?" He said, looking a shade paler.

He looked scared but Scully was suddenly very relaxed. After all, what reason did he have for hiding this mystery girl from Scully?

"Those are for a girl aren't they? Take me to her. Might as well see whose been getting my flowers. Now where are you parked?"

Stunned into silence, Mulder could only shake his head.

"I walk."

"So she lives close, eh? Let's go. Lead the way."

"Are you sure?" He asked, beginning to walk down the sidewalk, still grasping the flowers.

Scully nodded vigorously as she followed him, "Of course."


	4. Chapter 4

On their walk, all of Mulder’s teasing suddenly stopped.

At first, Scully had delighted in the silence, but that was quickly replaced by concern.

Why had he suddenly become so nervous? Was it really because of whoever he was going to meet?

She briefly entertained the idea that he wasn’t visiting a girlfriend, but whether or not that was true Mulder hadn’t said.

Though Scully knew she should say something as soon things seemed strange, she didn’t actually speak up until she noticed the apartments and houses dwindle away.

“Uh, Mulder? Where are we going?” But he only shook his head, urging them both forward.

It only made Scully more curious, with a thousand different theories pounding in her head.

It was only when they got to the cemetery at the end of the road that she finally understood and immediately felt guilty.

“Mulder I… I had no idea I’m sorry.” She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at their shoes. They had stopped outside the gates

“I feel like a jerk.” Scully turned to go, but Mulder stopped her.

“No.” He said, shaking his head. “It’s my fault for stealing your flowers. You said you wanted to see who I’ve been giving the flowers to, and I’ll show you, Scully.” His voice was dull, free of any teasing or jokes.

This was strange for Mulder, and it only served to concern Scully more. Taking a deep breath, Scully thought on the situation.

While she knew the respectful thing to do would probably be to leave Mulder to his grieving and apologize for making a fuss out of coming with him, part of her curiosity still remained.

The cemetery was fairly large so it took awhile for them to reach the grave Mulder had been visiting and when they did, Scully could immediately tell.

All the flowers she had taken time to grow to perfection were laid out perfectly, cradled around the name “Samantha” cut in stone, so refined it looked fresh, and she felt instantly sorry for making such a fuss.

It was clear Mulder had some level of respect for these flowers despite stealing them from her garden without asking. Scully looked up at him, uncertain of what to do.

“My sister.” Mulder said as he walked to the grave and left the flowers there, he didn’t look at her once during all of this.

“How did she die?” Scully asked tentatively, unsure of whether or not that was an appropriate question.

“She went missing, I wanted to keep looking for her but my parents obviously felt differently.” Finally, Mulder looked at her and Scully was relieved to see he didn’t seem angry at her, instead his gaze seemed far away.

“Mulder,” She began, “I’m sorry, I had no idea. I would’ve just dropped it if I had known… I feel like a stupid jerk.”

For awhile, they just stared at each other, Scully trying to read him and Mulder not knowing what to say, and he didn’t say anything, just started leading her out of the cemetery with his hand on the small of her back.

They walked in silence for what seemed like hours, but it was finally broken when they returned to her house.

“Sorry, Scully. I won’t take your flowers anymore.”

“No, I’m sorry. I was being an asshole about things that didn’t matter.” Mulder chuckled at that, which only surprised Scully.

“I won’t take your flowers anymore, I should've just bought my own from the start.” He smiled and turned to go.

“Mulder, wait. I think I have an idea.”

And that’s how their tradition started.

From then on, once or twice a week, Mulder would join Scully in the gardening.

She sectioned off a patch of flowers he could take to his sister, if and only if he helped out on keeping up with them.

When they first started, Mulder was mostly asking Scully for help while he did small menial tasks, but the more they worked together the more Mulder seemed to understand how to care for all the plants, not just the ones in his little patch of grass.

It was through this routine that Scully finally got to know Mulder better.

He was definitely a weirdo, but a benevolent weirdo, one often misunderstood by the masses.

“I wasn’t well liked among my peers,” Mulder had said, chuckling to hide the embarrassment that threatened to spill over.

“I can’t see why.” Scully replied half sarcastically, lips turned up in an attempt at a crooked smile.

Despite the joke, Scully could sense the importance of the topic. Mulder smiled, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

“When Samantha went missing, I…” He paused, as if searching for the right words, “Well, it changed me.”

And just like that, the door was opened, any boundaries or reservations dissolved with each visit.

At first, Mulder had been the one to initiate, the one to do most of the talking, but as she got more comfortable Scully began opening up herself.

It was through these visits that Scully learned of Mulder’s almost stubborn resistance to authority, that Mulder learned of Scully’s passion for justice and righting wrong.

At the end of the day, Mulder would be lying if he didn’t sleep a little easier whenever his fingers were calloused from working in the garden.

Soon enough, Scully and Mulder began running into each other everywhere, it seemed they couldn’t go more than a couple days without hearing from each other.

So when Scully called Mulder just as he was about to head over for their usual gardening session, he sensed the importance even as he ran to pick it up.

“Hello?” He asked, certain it had to be Scully.

Not too many people called Mulder, so there weren’t many people it could be.

“Hey, Mulder. It’s Scully…” Her voice seemed to shake, it seemed to Mulder as if she was covering up something, but he chalked it up as his paranoia talking, all the while listening closer for any sign of trouble.

“Hey, I was just about to head over. What's up?”

“Oh, nothing. I… I mostly called to say that we can’t have our usual gardening session today.”

“Oh. Why?” Scully still sounded a little off to Mulder, but he wasn’t about to bring it up to her face.

There was a pause, as if Scully was thinking up a plausible lie.

“I have a dentist appointment this afternoon.”

Mulder scoffed, “If you didn’t want to hang out with me Scully you could’ve said so.”

“No! I really have a dentist appointment! Trust me, I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Scully, are you… Scared of the dentist’s?” He grinned, something she could clearly hear if not see.

Though he had only been teasing, he could hear a sharp intake of breath from the other line and telling silence.

"Oh, wait. Are you really?"

Scully sighed, Mulder had a feeling she'd just nod to avoid talking about how she felt, but they were on the phone so Scully would have to craft some excuse or just hang up.

So far she hadn't done either.

"Yes, maybe. A little? It's nothing."

For just a second, Mulder could swear he heard hints of vulnerability in her voice.

"It doesn't sound like nothing, Scully."

Mulder didn’t know where this was coming from, usually he wasn’t good with words and as a result distant, but now everything he knew he needed to say just seemed to slip right out.

"No it's fine, I was just calling to let you know."

And just like that, she had hardened up again, crawled back into her shell.

Mulder felt bad leaving things like this, and even though he knew it was a gamble, he said the only thing that would come to his head.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"Uh..." Scully hesitated, but Mulder could tell she was entertaining the idea.

"Come on! Afterwards if you're up for it we can have a late gardening session, or I'll just fuck off for the evening and leave you alone." She finally  laughed a little, and Mulder knew she'd agree.

"Alright, you can come."

"Oh I can come? Gee I'm so glad Scully allowed me the privilege to accompany her!" He quipped sarcastically, chuckling softly.

"Thanks for coming. You need to hurry! I don't want to be late, don't make me change my mind."

"I'm on my way over, don't worry."

After saying their quick goodbyes Mulder hung up and began walking the short distance between the two houses, optimistic for whatever this visit would bring. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I had such a writer's block. But bit by bit I was getting it done, and here we go!  
> I was wondering if I should've ended it at the garden scene and just made separate stories in the same verse, but I decided to shoot for a chapter thing. I don't think I've ever stuck to a project this long.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one kind of took awhile cause school started back up, but my writer friend is helping to motivate me cause we talk about our work.  
> im not sure, i might comb through this chapter more thoroughly tomorrow but for now im posting it

“Hi, I have a 5 o’clock appointment under the name Dana Scully."

"Alright just have a seat, Dr.Gullick will see you in just a moment."

"Thank you." Despite her anxiety, Scully smiled at the receptionist, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs while Mulder entertained himself with the glowing fish tank protruding from the wall.

"Mulder, stop that!" Scully hissed when she noticed him tapping at the glass.

It was almost like dealing with a child.

Chuckling, Mulder took a seat beside Scully and took in his surroundings. Just about everything seemed to be some variation of gray or brown, the walls were covered in bland paintings of waterfronts and cottages, and the place looked like it hadn't been updated since the 60s.

"No wonder you're afraid of this place, Scully."

"Don't embarrass me anymore than I already am."

"Embarrassed? Why?" Mulder asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

"You know why." She said, her cheeks tinted with a slight blush. "I'm an adult who still can't go to the dentist's by myself."

"Hey, it's not a big deal. I'm scared of plenty of stuff, this is nothing compared to my weird phobias!" This seemed to help, as Scully grinned a little, intrigued.

"Oh really? Like what? Alien invasion?"

"Oh no! Scully, that's my dream. Then I'd finally be the rational one!"

"You? Rational?" Scully chuckled, which only made Mulder's grin wider. "So what are you afraid of, then?"

"Well, the dark, firstly."

"That doesn't count! That's a common one. Give me another one!"

"Alright, alright! Let's see..." Mulder paused to ponder a phobia that would properly entertain Scully when his thoughts were interrupted by the dentist coming from down the hall.

"Dana, we're ready to see you now."

She stood, the witty banter all dried up, now replaced with that familiar old anxiety.

"Is it okay if he goes back with me?" Scully asked, gesturing towards Mulder.

After getting the okay from Dr.Gullick, he stood to follow her and her dentist through the seemingly endless beige hallway.

Mulder was seriously getting sick of beige.

Dr.Gullick seemed friendly enough, he made some small talk with Scully as they walked back to his office.

Once they arrived, Scully took a seat in the dentist's chair and Mulder took a seat in the little bench sat to the right of the chair. Out of the way, but still close enough if Scully needed anything. Mulder wasn't sure if she would need anything from him, but nonetheless it was good to be close.

"Today is just a routine cleaning, Dana. Nothing to be worried about."

Scully nodded, though she looked unconvinced. It seemed Dr.Gullick was aware of her anxiety about this, and Mulder wondered how long Scully had been seeing this dentist.

It seemed like quite awhile, but if even he knew about her anxiety, why did none of her closer friends come with her? Surely there was someone who could comfort her, like the mysterious roommate, Rebecca, the one he'd heard of but never really seen.

Scully began bracing herself for something she must've known was coming, and Mulder couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It was clear she may not have wanted anyone to know about what she must have considered a childish fear.

The chair reclined and the dentist began his work as Scully gripped the armrests for dear life, her knuckles going white. Mulder wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do, this was different than comforting a relative, and he hadn't even done that before!

Was it rude to watch? Was it rude not to watch? Should he say something encouraging or would that be too creepy?

These thoughts raced through his mind until one in particular seemed to stand out: maybe he should hold her hand? Mulder was unsure until he saw Scully flinch from whatever the dentist was doing, then he knew he had to do it.

Cautious despite his sudden burst of determination, he slowly reached out, tapping Scully's hand and exposing his open palm encouragingly.

She glanced over and instantly took his hand, squeezing lightly. Mulder smiled, then stopped as he immediately felt silly.

Scully's hand was soft, and Mulder found himself looking at his feet most of the time so she wouldn't see this embarrassing blush that threatened to creep across his entire face until he looked more tomato than human. It wasn’t often that he had held a girl’s hand, or anyone’s for that matter, so it felt like Mulder had been holding Scully's hand for an eternity when the dentist finally assured her that her teeth were clean, and she was all done for today.

Scully sat up, and Mulder slipped his hand back into his pockets sheepishly, following her to the parking lot. He couldn’t seem to stop replaying the event in his mind.

It wasn't until they got back into the car that she finally spoke.

"Uh... Well, thanks for... Coming with me today." There was a slight blush tinting her cheeks, and she still sounded a little embarrassed despite Mulder’s attempts at cheering her up.

"No problem at all, Scully. What are friends for?"

Both of them froze for a split second as it became aware to them that they'd never called each other friends yet. But Mulder shook it off quickly, laughing nervously to break the brief tension.

"So, are we still on for gardening? I don't know about you, but that dentist's office made me want to feel something alive." He clenched his fists dramatically to emphasize his point.

Scully's brow furrowed as she pulled out of the parking lot and into the street, as if in deep in thought.

"Hey, wait." She said, not answering his question. "You never told me the weird things you were afraid of."

"Well first of all it's really only one thing, I was kidding about being afraid of the dark, and secondly, I'm not telling you Scully. You have to guess."

"Mulder I'm so bad at guessing, can't you just tell me?" Scully whined, frowning at Mulder disapprovingly, but he only shook his head and gave nothing away.

There was a pause, then Scully knew just what to say.

"Fine then, I won't ask." She pretended to ignore Mulder and focus on the road, an action which surprised as well as annoyed him.

"Wait, what?"

"You don't want to tell me, so I won't ask." She shrugged, to sell her performance. It was only a few minutes later Mulder caught onto Scully's strategy and finally appeased her. He sighed.

"Fine, I'll give you a hint, okay? But you still have to guess!" Scully's eyes immediately lit up, her facade dissolved. Mulder rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, so it's living." He began, his face betraying no hint or emotion as to what it could be.

"What kind of a clue is that?"

"A pretty good clue! Lots of people fear inanimate objects, Scully!"

"Fine." She sighed, "But narrow it down, a little?"

"Alright... Well it's in the animal kingdom."

"Spiders? Snakes? Alligators? Am I close with any of these Mulder?" Mulder smiled, he could hear Scully's impatience growing and it only served to delight him more.

"Not even close, Scully. Think mammals, fur."

This time she thought for awhile, tapping her index finger against her lips, an action that mesmerized Mulder.

"Tigers? Wolves? Lions?"

He was jolted back to reality by her guesses, realizing only after the fact how creepy his staring had been. Scully pulled up to her house and they both hopped out of the car.

"No, no, and no, Scully." He replied, already taking the lead to where he knew the entrance to the garden would be.

It was not until they were beginning to work on their respective plants that Scully would finally admit defeat.

"Fine," she said, true defeat ringing in her voice. "I give up, Mulder. What is it?"

"Oh no! I guess you'll never know what I'm afraid of!" Mulder chuckled, feigning disappointment.

"I guess not." Scully replied sourly as she returned to gardening.

And with that, they began to work in a comfortable silence.

Scully was still wondering what Mulder was afraid of, a line of thought which pushed all others from taking root.

Her mind relentlessly replayed the earlier dentist's appointment, as something about it lingered with Scully. Not due to some irrational anxiety like usual, but rather due to the complete lack of fear she had felt with Mulder there.

She shook off that thought, Mulder was just a friend and a relatively new one at that. Had Rebecca offered to accompany her, she probably would've felt the same strange mix of shame and awe towards her instead, but no one had ever offered.

No one even knew how nervous it made her, she hadn't let anyone know, before Mulder, at least.

Scully still wasn't sure how that made her feel. It was while contemplating Mulder’s company and what it meant to her, that her gardening partner tensed up and backed away a little from where he had previously been working, staring nearly aghast at something in the grass just out of her line of sight.

“Mulder?” Scully said, turning to see what he was reacting to. The fearful look was gone in an instant and replaced with his usual cool demeanor but Scully wasn’t fooled, he glanced at Scully and blushed faintly as he chuckled. She could see the anxiety in his eyes, could tell he was caught between shame and fear, a feeling she’d grown accustomed to herself.

“You know that thing I told you I was scared of Scully?” He laughed nervously, shaking his head and pointing at something scurrying through the garden.

Upon realization of what it was, Scully darted towards the grass, scooping up the small white rabbit in her arms.

“You’re scared of rabbits?” She teased, a mischievous smile on her lips, but Mulder didn’t say anything, only flinched as Scully moved the rabbit a few inches closer and withdrew it.

"Stop that, Scully. Where did that thing even come from?"

Just at that moment, Rebecca came bounding outside in a frenzy.

“Rocky!” Rebecca called, seeing that the animal was safe in Scully’s arms. “Thanks, Dana. He totally got away from me and I was looking all over for him!” Scully handed off Rocky, but quickly turned her attention back to Mulder.

It was at this moment that Rebecca noticed Mulder, or Spooky, as she knew him. A brief look of alarm passed over both of their faces, and Scully realized they had never actually been formally introduced. She bridged the awkward gap between them and gestured to Mulder.

“Rebecca, this is Mulder.” Scully began, as if she didn’t already know. “We garden together in the afternoons.” Rebecca nodded, reaching out the hand that wasn’t cradling Rocky, which Mulder hesitantly shook after a short deliberation.

“Mulder, this is Rebecca, my roommate.”

They exchanged brief mumbled greetings, before Rebecca hurriedly excused herself for whatever reason, once inside Mulder turned to Scully.

“She hates me.” He stated plainly, but Scully didn’t care about that right now.

“You’re afraid of rabbits.” She said accusingly, her grin slowly growing as she walked closer to the edge of the garden where he was standing.

“Your roommate thinks I’m weird.”

“You’re afraid of rabbits, Mulder. Are you sure this is the time to be discussing how weird you may or may not be?”

“Well, admit she does. I don’t exactly have a great reputation, Scully.” He narrowed his eyes, brow furrowing in half annoyance, half caution. Scully shook her head.

"I won't address that now, I just want to know why you're afraid of rabbits."

"Why are you afraid of the dentist's Scully? It's an irrational fear for a reason, right?."

"My fear isn't irrational, when I was a kid I had 11 cavities filled in one appointment, now what's your story."

Mulder's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You can't just lay that crazy story on me and expect me not to ask questions. Why did you have 11 cavities?"

"It was Halloween, I had poor dental hygiene and lived in a rich neighborhood." She flapped her hand at him dismissively, as if she'd told him this many times before.

"You act like this is something that happens to everyone." He quipped, still in disbelief at Scully's rather bizarre confession.

"You're just trying to get out of telling me why you're afraid of rabbits."

"Okay fine, I’ll tell you, but it’s really nothing.” Mulder cleared his throat, “When I was a kid, my mom took us to one of those petting zoos at a carnival and a rabbit bit me.”

“Oh. Really? That’s it? Just a rabbit bite?”

“Scully, I’m surprised at you, this wasn’t just a rabbit bite.”

“Sorry. How bad was it, anyway?”

“Pretty bad! Those suckers can bite too. It got infected later because I didn’t take care of it too well. Let’s just say I was scared of all animals with teeth for awhile, not just rabbits.” He grinned then, as if what he had just said had been the punchline to a corny joke, and not a sad childhood anecdote.

“That’s kind of sad, Mulder.” The more Scully got to know him, the more she noticed how somber Mulder could be despite his cheery demeanor, it was clear that he had become accustomed to playing off and hiding his true feelings. She wondered how many people knew about his fear, how many times it may have been the subject of taunts from his peers.

How could so many people call him Spooky when all she saw was a misunderstood, somewhat troubled, man? The answer still eluded Scully.

“I didn’t mean to make you sad, Scully, but to be fair your story about 11 cavities was kind of depressing.”

She laughed and nodded at that, and suddenly the atmosphere was all smiles again.

Mulder marveled at the way Scully could light up a room, how it seemed she could make any difficult situation a great one. Despite every awkward road block Mulder would’ve considered a deal breaker with anyone else, Scully persevered. It seemed, to him, that she was endlessly committed to making sure everything ran smoothly. Whether or not Scully saw it in herself, Mulder adamantly believed she was very strong.

“I guess you’re right.” She said, shaking him from his rambling thoughts, “We all kind of have something sad about us.”

A silence followed, but a comfortable one. The ghost of a smile lingered at Scully’s lips, Mulder’s eyebrows raised quizzically as they both thought of nothing in particular. It was weird, but Mulder would be lying if he said he didn’t want it to happen again.

A loud motorcycle sped by, and it was then that they noticed the sun setting. Mulder instinctively checked his watch for the time.

“It’s getting kinda late Scully, I think I should be going.” Mulder turned to face the gate leading out front. Scully nodded, and followed him to the front of the house. Once there, they shared another one of their strange silent stares, which Scully broke with a hug. Mulder stiffened at the sudden contact, but hugged back as soon as he realized what it was. Surprisingly, this was the weirder part of the day to Mulder, as he was unaccustomed to such a bold show of appreciation from Scully, who was usually on the more reserved side.

“Thanks for today.” She half mumbled into Mulder’s chest. He could sense some embarrassment still lingering, but at the moment, everything seemed fine.

“Of course, Scully.” Mulder said when they parted. He walked to his car, waving goodbye as he backed out and drove away.

Scully waited until his car was completely out of sight to go back inside.

“So was that your boyfriend?” Rebecca said, her back turned to Scully while she cleaned the rabbit’s cage.

“Of course not!” Scully sputtered back immediately, caught off guard by the question as well as her roommate’s sudden presence in the living room.

Scully hadn’t expected she’d still be lingering out in the open, seeing as Rebecca spent most of her time holed up in her room.

“Sure.” She said, seemingly unconvinced, “So that’s why he’s been following you everywhere, gardening with you and going to dentist’s appointments with you?”

“How did you know about that?” Scully replied, dodging the real issue.

“You wrote it on the fridge, but...” Rebecca shut the cage door, with Rocky safely inside, and turned to face Scully, smiling coyly.

“That’s beside the point, Dana. So tell me, do you like him?”

“No! Of course not! He’s just a friend.” Scully started to head upstairs, wanting to avoid any further questioning from Rebecca.

But this didn’t satisfy her, as she began to follow Scully up the stairs, pestering her with more invasive questions to which she had no answers.

“Come on, don't you even have a little crush on him?” Scully turned around, shooting her roommate a withering glare.

She knew Rebecca didn’t mean to be prying, but all these questions were just too invasive. She'd had a long day, and at the end of it all, Scully didn’t want to ruin the calm, easy friendship with Mulder by asking him all these questions. They were friends and that was that.

“Rebecca, not every guy I hang out with is some romantic goal. We’re just friends, okay?”

Although Scully had been gentle in her tone, Rebecca seemed to the get the message.

“Yeah, you’re right. Totally sorry, Dana.”  She smiled apologetically, and Scully let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you. Now, I’ve had an exhausting day, so all I really want to do is get to bed.”

“And all I really wanna do is watch Cheers … But I’ll keep it down, okay?” And with that, Rebecca bounded downstairs to attend to her various television shows, as Scully got ready for bed.

When she walked into her bedroom, Scully was struck with a chill. Upon further inspection, she noticed her window had been left open, allowing the cool night air to effectively freeze her room.

Scully didn't remember opening her window, in fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd ever had it open.

Shutting it firmly and crawling into bed, she determined it probably wasn't a big deal. Besides, she could always call Mulder if she needed a ghost hunter.

The thought made her chuckle as she imagined Mulder poking around for ghosts, with Rebecca off to the side, mortified. She closed her eyes and smiled, allowing herself to be lulled by the thoughts as they melted into dreams and lost their clarity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man how sappy can ya get am i right?  
> im trying to balance comedy and seriousness while remaining in character. its kind of tough...  
> kudos mean a lot to me, i see them and i get happy some people are reading this... but im wondering what people think. ive not gotten a single comment on this work! hello hello? anyone out there?  
> EDIT: I added a little bit at the end of this chapter because I felt this worked better here than at the beginning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man this took awhile to churn out, but i did it eh?

Fall was coming fast, and Mulder was growing more anxious by the day.

He didn't think Scully noticed he'd been visiting the cemetary less and less, and while Mulder initially felt bad, he reasoned that once a month was a healthy amount to visit.

One of the things his mom had really pushed for after Samantha's disappearance was to not obsess over her so much, and only now was Mulder beginning to understand why. With his younger sister vanished, he’d had a lot of extra free time growing up, time he usually poured into researching the paranormal or visiting her grave as opposed to social activities like a club or sports.

Mulder’s teenage years had been a jumbled mess of confusion and grief, and he’d never really found a place he felt he belonged.

Now he had something to pour his passion into, as well as someone who would listen. He was well aware of how cheesy it was, but he really did have an obsessive personality, and Scully was no exception.

Of course he'd had friends before, but he'd never had one quite like her.

While they had initially seemed like complete opposites, Mulder had quickly realized how similar they were. He had always defined himself by his odd interests, and while Scully had attempted to seem as plain as possible, Mulder knew she had some eccentricities hidden up her sleeve and he delighted in figuring them out.

He noticed it in the little gleam in her eye when he started info dumping about the latest creature he'd researched, while Scully scoffed and rolled her she never asked him to stop. Mulder liked to tease Scully, try crack through her logical shell, but at the end of the day it was only because he had the utmost respect for her.

However, he wasn't always sure that she felt the same way, and with the weather only getting chillier, Mulder began to wonder if he would even see Scully once the garden was packed away for winter. Additionally, the last visit had left him confused. While Mulder had made sure each visit following that had been normal, he couldn't seem to get that specific one out of his head.

In an effort to relax, Mulder had come to the bookstore he spent most of his time in, but upon entry realized relaxation would not be an option. The owners of the bookstore, Frohike, Langly, and Byers, whom he also called by their last names and his only other friends besides Scully had enlisted his help into stacking the new arrivals. Not like anyone was clamoring for yet another book about who really killed JFK, but he knew how important the bookstore was for them and he’d be hard-pressed to come up with an excuse to get out of helping his friends.

"What's got him so distracted?" Frohike stage whispered to no one in particular, breaking Mulder out of his trance.

“Hey, I can hear you back there, you know.”

“That’s news to us,” Langly shot back, joining Frohike in ganging up against him.

“What’s on your mind, anyway?” Byers asked, coming from the stockroom to join in on the fun.

“I think he’s got a girlfriend.” Langly suggested, delighting in the discomfort it caused Mulder.

“That short red head? No way, she’s out of his league.” Frohike quipped back, grinning smugly from ear to ear.

Mulder groaned, stifling the urge to lob a book at each of them. Unfortunately these conspiracy novels seemed to be exclusively paperbacks, making it pretty hard for them to pack a good punch.

"So tell us, Mulder, who is she?" Byers asked, his shoulders slouched as he counted books in an attempt to look disinterested.

"I heard she was majoring in medicine." Langly interrupted, before Mulder could even begin.

“I saw her with you at that gardening store awhile back, remember?” Frohike added.

“You know you guys can’t ask me who she is and then immediately answer your own question!”

At this, the trio finally fell silent.

“I help her garden sometimes, okay? That’s all!”

The collective mock gasp from the group only served to deepen Mulder’s blush, and it only made him want to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Ask her on a date, if you like her so much.” Byers suggested, as though it were the obvious next step. Things were not so simple for Mulder, who recoiled as if he’d been stung.

“I do not like her!”

“Please!” Langly laughed, “You’re in love with her, you walk around in a daze when she's not around.”

“Alright this has been real fun, guys.” Mulder dropped the book he had been stacking, raising his hands in defeat as he made his way towards the exit.

He swore he could still hear them crooning halfway down the block.

Back at home, Mulder was still troubled by the thought of colder weather. It was raining now, and the grey clouds choking out the sun did nothing for his nerves.

He wondered if there was a way to ask Scully if they’d still be friends once the plants tucked away their blossoming petals and shriveled into the cold, hard ground.

Mulder picked up the phone, ready to call and ask, but quickly felt foolish. Asking if someone would leave you was a sure fire way to make sure they did. He couldn’t be clingy, even if that’s how he felt. Scully was cool and collected. She’d never feel like this… Right?

He’d seen her smile, on rare occasions when she wasn’t self conscious of her smile lines. Mulder had seen the way it lit up her eyes, breathtaking. She wasn’t as emotionless and logical and she wanted the world to believe.

Did he have a crush on Scully? Maybe a little one, but how could he not? She was compassionate, strong, and she listened to Mulder. Was that why he was so enamored with her? Was he in love or just lonely, just infatuated with someone who acted halfway decent around him?

Then there was the roommate situation, that had been beyond awkward.

Irrationally, Mulder imagined Scully cutting him up to Rebecca when he left. What if he really was just free labor to her? Despite how unlikely that was, Mulder couldn’t help but overthink his every action, looking for flaws Scully wouldn’t approve of.

It was only late into the night that his sulk fest was interrupted with a phone call.

"Hello?" He asked blearily, though he knew it had to be Scully. Who else would call?

"Mulder, it's me, Scully." She said it cautiously, like a question.

"Hey Scully, I don't know if you noticed but, it's almost midnight, and it's also really coming down out there, so I don't think I can garden with you right now." Mulder had been dozing in and out of sleep for the past hour, there was a horror movie marathon on and every few minutes he'd jolt back awake by a bloodcurdling scream.

"No! No!" She chuckled before clearing her throat. "I was actually... Well..."

"What's up Scully? Another dentist appointment?" Mulder tried to make her laugh, as she seemed nervous.

"No, I just wanted to talk to someone. It's so creepy at my house."

"What about your roommate? The blonde one… What was her name?" It was Rebecca. Mulder knew, he was just being an asshole, not like Scully noticed it anyway.

"Rebecca's not here, she's spending the night at a friend's."

"Is the rabbit there?" That made Scully laugh.

"Yes, the rabbit is here."

"Well now your apprehension makes sense, Scully! I can just imagine that hell beast watching your every move. That creature is real spooky." He chuckled, feeling a slight blush creep across his features.

"I’ll ignore your use of the word hell beast,” Scully laughed despite her words. “Because you might actually be right for once, the rain and the horror movies on TV make me want to believe in anything."

"Scully, you watch horror movies? The skeptic med student?"

There was a pause, Mulder could picture her glaring at him in silence. The thought made him laugh.

"Guilty pleasure," she finally admitted, and Mulder could tell she was blushing.

"No shame in that. Horror movies are cool."

"I'm mostly worried about my garden." Scully said suddenly, Mulder tensed up at the mention of the very thing he'd been worrying about.

"What?"

"Well, what if it keeps raining?"

"Did you cover up the plants with those tarps from the shed?"

"Yeah, but it's getting colder. I'm afraid they'll die."

"Me too." Mulder blurted out of nowhere. "I like gardening with you, Scully. I don't want it to end."

As soon as it came out of his mouth, Mulder was cringing. What a corny thing to say! He briefly entertained the idea of just hanging up on Scully, but in the long run, hanging up on her seemed worse than saying something embarrassing.

In his flurry of thoughts, he nearly missed Scully's response.

"I like gardening with you too, Mulder." It was simple, but he could tell the emotion was there.

"I just..." He hesitated, then decided to just go for it, "Usually I never do anything and it's... Well it's been nice to be so… Busy" He laughed nervously to cover up some of the emotion in his voice.

Could Scully tell how nervous he was? If she did, she gave no indication.

"I know, me too. It's been fun, I hope you won't run away as soon as the flowers die, Mulder." She was teasing, but it shocked Mulder all the same.

"What?!" He sputtered, "No, Scully. If anything, I was afraid you'd ditch me!"

"No way! I’d never do that! We’re friends, aren’t we?"

“Yeah that’s what I thought but I wasn’t sure!”

There was a pause before they both began to laugh.

"How long have you been worried about this, Scully?" Mulder asked when they'd finally exhausted their giggling fit.

"Since the cold front came in a week or so ago."

"Me too... I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to seem clingy."

"Oh my god." She laughed again, but it sounded a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry Mulder."

"It's okay, let's just... Bring that up to each other next time, alright?" Mulder was smiling now, and for the moment he was glad Scully wasn't there so she couldn't see his dopey grin.

"Deal." Scully replied, and this time Mulder could hear her smile too.

There was an easy silence between them, one that seemed to be customary of their friendship by now.

Mulder was sure Scully had fallen asleep, but he stayed on the line anyway. It was corny, but he didn't mind anymore, and he definitely didn’t want to be the first one to hang up.

Scully made him feel like a teenager again, with the worry and the paranoia, but also with the unspoken regard for each other, the butterflies in stomach feeling. Mulder admired her, and strangely, talking on the phone felt just as intimate as talking to her in real life, if not more.

Whether it was a product of the late night, the rain, or even the fact that they were both just lonely on a Friday night, there was something about cradling a phone close and only hearing their voice above the drone of everything else that felt… Different. Pleasantly different.

"Mulder?" Scully said blearily, clearing having fallen asleep, "Are you still there?"

"Oh, yeah. I... Must've fallen asleep. Sorry." He tried his best to sound sleepy, as if he hadn't been lying awake, lost in his thoughts.

"The rain stopped."

Mulder looked out the window to confirm it had, and then he realized it was almost 2 AM.

"Yeah, it's also super late so, I should go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Goodnight Mulder."

His heart skipped a beat, he almost didn't know what to say.

"Goodnight Scully." And after a moment's hesitation, he hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, im thinking this is definitely a filler chapter. im still really brainstorming where this is going to go, and with school its been tough. but here i am. :D  
> this is partially inspired by my love of late night phone calls, seriously if i talk on the phone with anyone it's about guaranteed I will fall in love with them!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oblivious dorks are oblivious...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! im sorry for the wait, if anyone's stuck with me so far.

Scully woke up with the phone in her hand, dial tone droning on monotonously. Putting it back in its cradle, she reflected on the content of last night’s call. While she didn’t exactly remember hanging up or saying goodbye, Scully  _ did _ remember the brief misunderstanding between her and Mulder that resulted in their declaration as friends, a memory which left her feeling embarrassed and confused. She never kept friends for too long, and maybe it was because she didn’t like to talk about her feelings so candidly.

Mulder on the other hand, seemed fine with just bringing out his emotional baggage anywhere. At the bookstore, in the garden, and even over the phone, it still baffled Scully how vulnerable he could be as well as incredibly dorky in one fell swoop. It was in the small remarks like “I wasn’t very popular in high school” followed by an amazingly witty anecdote that made her think he was more bothered by the former statement than he let on.

She worried for him sometimes, you could only be so open before someone started to take advantage of that.

It became apparent to Scully that he probably only had a handful of friends. She didn’t know much about Mulder’s other friends, but from what he said they always seemed to be busy. Whether this was true or not, she realized that gardening was probably one of the only routine things Mulder did, and that Scully was one of his more consistent friends.

With that weighing heavily in her mind, she set to the task of making breakfast, despite the fact that it was about noon. 

There was something to be said about Scully's almost stubborn insistence on keeping routines. It was one of the things that had led to the occasional scuff between her and Rebecca, who always referred to err on the side of spontaneity. 

Scully couldn't help that she was a planner at heart, but at the end of the day, she had as much to learn from Rebecca as Rebecca did from her. The same could be said for Mulder, who preferred to pour over his conspiracy theory books in the dark and had barely known the difference between roses and weeds before Scully taught him the ins and outs of maintaining a garden.

In some cases opposites really did attract, she thought with a chuckle. Either way, her roommate would probably be grateful for the food after what Scully could only imagine had been a wild Friday night out. 

She heard a click followed by the creak of the front door as Rebecca entered right on time.

“I'm home!” She called from the living room, fussing with the rabbit’s cage, from the sound of it. 

“Hey, how was your night?” Scully asked, striding into the living room to greet her. 

“It was good.” Rebecca shrugged, dropping her bag next to the couch and flopping down, groaning dramatically as she pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“Oh, that kind of night?” Scully chuckled, leaning against the doorway. Her roommate simply nodded, too wiped out to articulate a coherent response. 

“Well, I'm making some eggs if you want some? I could even pull out some of those biscuits from last week and make some little breakfast sandwiches.”

“Oh god, that would be great! Do you mind? I'm just totally wiped out.”

“It's no problem. I figured you'd want some.” And with that, she turned back to the kitchen to begin cooking.

They were about halfway through eating and a quarter of the way through some daytime television when the phone rang. 

“Oh, I'll get it!” Rebecca said, taking in Scully's mouth full of food and general lack of preparation to answer the phone. She laughed and nodded, trying as best as she could to not heave up egg onto the couch. 

“Hello?” Rebecca paused, listening intently. Scully swallowed her mouthful of food. “Sure, who's this?” Another pause, and then she glanced at her roommate. “Oh yeah, okay.” 

Rebecca suddenly seemed very off as she handed the phone to her,  it was nearly imperceptible, but Scully noticed. 

“Who is it?” Scully asked, but Rebecca just shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Hello?” Scully said, as confused as she was she had a faint inkling of who was calling.

“Hey Scully, I thought your roommate was out of town.” Of course it was Mulder, skipping conventional greetings to get straight to the point. Suddenly her roommate’s abrupt change in demeanor made sense. Scully almost cringed at what must've been a horribly awkward exchange between Rebecca and Mulder, seeing as they weren’t on the most amicable terms.

“She got back an hour or so ago. Why? Did she scare you?” Rebecca chuckled as Scully began picking up the plates and heading to the kitchen to clean up as well as afford some privacy when talking to Mulder.

“Of course not!” He sputtered nervously, “I just didn’t expect her to answer.”

“You didn’t say anything…  _ spooky _ to her did you?” She couldn’t keep the grin off her face, something she hoped Mulder could hear in her voice. There was a brief pause, followed by a sigh which caused Scully to burst into a fit of giggling as she began washing dishes.

“Sorry, Mulder.” She laughed, a hint of anxiety ebbing in her voice. Was that joke below the belt? Was Mulder sensitive about the nickname given to him by his peers? Despite his openness about his past, it was impossible to tell what bothered him  _ in the present _ .

“It’s okay, Scully, I know you’re just as interested in the paranormal as me.” He said it smugly, as though he’d won a bet. 

“What do you mean?” Now it was her turn to sputter in disbelief.

“You love hearing about all the weird stuff I read about!”

“How do you figure?” 

“I see the way you perk up whenever I get new information on some modern mystery.”

“That’s…” Scully paused, unable to think up an appropriate response. She really hadn’t considered until Mulder brought it up that while Scully had a propensity for skepticism, she was secretly fascinated by the bizarre.

“Come on, admit it Miss Skeptic.” He laughed lightly, easing up on her as she seemed a bit flustered. Talking on the phone with Mulder again felt just as intimate as the night before, though this time the subject matter was markedly lighter. 

“What are you calling for anyway?” Scully continued on, like Mulder hadn’t just called her out.

“Well, if you must know, I was wondering if you wanted to....” He seemed to hesitate, “Well... it’s stupid. I’d understand if you didn’t want to.”

“What is it, Mulder?”

“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe see a movie? Tonight?” Mulder sounded cautious, like he was defusing a bomb instead of asking a friend to hang out.

“Oh?” Scully leaned into the phone as she used both hands to load the dishes into the dishwasher.

“I know you said you liked horror movies, have you seen that Re-Animator movie yet?”

“No, but I’ve heard of it.” Scully laughed, recalling the mix of outrage and flattery her fellow medicine majors had felt at having their aspired professions portrayed so wildly on screen.

“What? Is that okay? We can see something else if you want.”

“No no! Re-Animator sounds good, what time is it showing?”

“There's one at like 7:30 at the theatre downtown, I could pick you up?”

“Oh, fancy.” 

“Well yeah,” Mulder said, sounding bashful again, “I figured it would be better than the crummy one on campus.”

“I guess you're right. That sounds awesome!” Scully’s enthusiasm only served to melt his bashfulness, Mulder was suddenly brimming with excitement, and she could hear the smile in his voice. 

“I'll pick you up at 7 then, Scully?” 

“Sure, see ya then.”

With that, Scully did the last of the dishes and rejoined Rebecca in the living room. 

“What'd Spooky have to say?” She asked coolly, absentmindedly flipping through a magazine. 

“ _ Mulder _ , actually.” Scully quipped, putting the phone back in its cradle and joining Rebecca on the couch, unable to keep a grin off her face. 

“Well what did  _ Mulder _ want?” Rebecca said, still buried in her magazine. 

“Oh, he just invited me to a see movie with him.”

This seemed to interest her roommate, who put down her magazine to look at Scully quizzically.

“Like a date?”

“No! Just an outing between two friends,” but she wondered if Mulder felt the same.

“Does he see it that way?” Rebecca said, mirroring Scully's own thoughts, her tone of voice bordering on condescending. 

“I mean… Probably.”

“Well, in any case, you better wear something cute.”

“We'll be in a dark room the whole time, and it's not like he even notices that kinda stuff.”

“So… Would you dress up if you were going  _ somewhere else _ with 

Mulder?” Rebecca had a tricksy tone to her voice, and Scully internally rolled her eyes at what she was insinuating. 

“No! I don't know. Stop it, Rebecca! Mulder and I are... just friends.” 

“Scully, you’re blushing!”

“No I’m not!” She insisted, despite feeling the warmth rising in her cheeks.

“Do  _ you _ have a crush on him?” Rebecca asked bluntly, unconvinced at Scully’s refusal. 

“If anything I think he might have a crush on  _ me _ .”

These words revived Rebecca, who thrived on gossip like they were new developments in a soap opera. 

“He  _ might? _ ”

“Well, I don't know, do you think?” It was a common tactic Scully used to defuse attention her: ask Rebecca her opinion of  _ anything _ and any pertinent questions from her were forgotten.

“Absolutely.” She said simply, and her answer surprised Scully, who had been expecting a long lecture.

The words had a curious finality to them, and Scully wondered if Rebecca saw something she didn't see. She wasn't sure what she believed, and even though her roommate had said most of it in jest, Scully still couldn't get the words out of her mind. 

Meanwhile, Mulder was having his own conflicts, external or otherwise. He hadn't meant to tell the guys about his plans with Scully, but when Byers called up asking him for help them organizing their countless files on presidential assassinations and celebrities who (allegedly) faked their own deaths, he had declined that tempting offer and of course they had to know why.

Mulder was more than happy to divulge his evening plans. To him, there was nothing wrong with going out to a movie with a good friend, right? Apparently they thought otherwise. 

“You asked her on a date?” Byers said, and Mulder cringed at the commotion he heard in the background. 

“No! Byers, do you have me on speaker?”

“Of course, Mulder!” Langley replied, answering his question. “For safety.”

“Safety?”

“Phones give off a lot of radiation, after all.” Byers explained diligently, as bookish as ever. 

“Also because we wanted to eavesdrop.” Frohike laughed, voice a bit further from the rest but still clear enough to make out. Mulder groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“You asked why I can't hang out, and I told you. Now, is that all?”

“No way, Mulder! Come on now, tell us, is it a date?” Langley crooned, and Mulder could picture the smug grin on his face.

“Like I said, we’re just friends.”

“We know you're friends with her, what we want to know is whether or not you _ like _ her.” Byers always had a way of making the most ridiculous conversations sound like an encyclopedia, as he did now.

“What, like as friends?” He said, playing dumb to their antics.

“No, you moron! We wanna know if you  _ like _ like her.” Langley said, voice becoming clearer as he moved to the phone. 

“ _ Like _ like her? What is this, second grade?” 

“Still haven't answered the question.” Frohike said simply. 

“Oh my god.” Mulder groaned, shaking his head. He couldn't believe he was being interrogated by his friends about a girl. 

“Come on! Do you have a crush on Scully?”

There was a long pause. 

“I… I really don't know.” And Mulder thought that sounded like the truth, or at least, a more palatable truth than the fact that he  _ did _ have a crush on Sully and  _ knew _ he had no chance with her. It was better he keep these feelings to himself considering Scully had just officially called him her friend. It wouldn't be right to throw it all away over some playground crush. That’s all this was, after all.

Scully was just beautiful and if Mulder was honest with himself, he was pretty lonely. He couldn't remember the last time he'd even flirted with a girl, let alone hooked up with one at that. He was just projecting. That was it. Lost in thought, Mulder realized his friends had been talking endlessly while he day dreamed. 

“Earth to Mulder? You still there?”

“I think he's died of embarrassment.”

“Or love for Scully.”

“This has been fun guys, but I gotta go.” Mulder deadpanned, no longer even the slightest bit amused.

“He's gotta go buy a ring.” Frohike said with a chuckle, and he hung up without another word. 

\--

Mulder had figured he might need a bit of wiggle room due to possible traffic, but unfortunately he’d overestimated the time it took to get over here and was ten minutes early to pick Scully up. Added to the fact that he was incredibly nervous, and this date wasn't looking good so far. No, wait. Not date, it was an outing. Right. Just an outing between friends. The more he reminded himself of that, the more at ease he felt. Nonetheless, his anxiety was still a constant buzz in the back of his head. 

Mulder pulled out, deciding to wait to pick Scully up until at least  _ five  _ minutes before six. After he was a good distance from her house he pulled over and inspected his car for any lingering messes. He had gotten used to his car, so there was no telling if there were any wrappers or old pieces of gum lurking just out of Mulder’s view and right in Scully’s. If there were any messes it would probably be the first thing she saw. It wasn’t that Scully was a clean freak, or that Mulder was a slob for that matter, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t trying to impress her  _ just _ a little. 

After sprucing up the car a bit Mulder decided to slowly make his way back to Scully’s house, as it was now within the acceptable time to show up early. However when he  _ did  _ get there Scully was sitting on her porch, perking up slightly when Mulder pulled into her driveway. 

“You waiting for me, Scully?” He said, getting out of the car and helping her up off the porch steps. 

“Sorry, I guess I just got impatient.” She smiled, looking down at her feet bashfully as they walked to the car. 

“Isn't it cold?” Mulder asked when they were in his car. As far as he could tell, Scully hadn’t cringed or run away screaming so he had probably done an alright job at tidying up. 

“It's alright. I kinda like the cold.”

There was a comfortable silence while Mulder pondered a line of conversation to follow. Usually he would just rattle off about some new monster he'd read about, but tonight felt different. Suddenly he wasn't sure if he should talk about any of that stuff, which was surprising considering the movie they were about to see. If anything Scully should be  _ more  _ excited to hear about unexplained disappearances or strange urban legends, but when Mulder finally spoke, he opted for a more casual topic of conversation. 

“So you excited for this movie, Scully?”

“Are you actually small talking Mulder?” Scully grinned at him. 

_ Fuck _ , Mulder thought, a blush creeping over his cheeks and ears as she called him out. 

“No! I just wanna know.” He replied defensively. 

“It seems cool.” She shrugged.

“Just cool?”

“Well honestly, I feel like a traitor for watching it.”

“Why?”

“Everyone in med is raving about it. They think it makes the whole medical field look like ghouls.” She curled her lip derisively and scoffed. 

“Ghouls are awesome,” Mulder laughed, “I'd love to be called a ghoul.”

“I know you would.” Scully said, jabbing him in the shoulder playfully. Mulder’s heart skipped a beat. 

“I'll ignore that assault, because you're my friend and I want to have a good time tonight.” He smiled, hoping Scully wouldn't see the quite obvious blush creeping up his neck. 

“Assault!” She scoffed, “You're the one who's like a six foot tall predator over here.”

“I'm a gentle giant, and you know that. Would a predator garden with you?”

“I'm not sure, that could be a front. You could have a secret double life.”

“Oh, please. I’m  _ terrible _ at hiding things!” Mulder said indignantly, which only made Scully smile more. He couldn’t help it, how could Mulder not smile back? 

Before they knew it the pair had burst into a fit of laughter, one that seemed to light up the whole car, leaving them panting and breathless. 

“What would your med school friends think if they knew you were seeing Re-Animator with Spooky Mulder?” He said after the laughter subsided. 

Scully seemed to pause, her smile becoming cloudy. Mulder glanced over at her curiously, waiting for her to reply. 

“Can I ask you something, Mulder?” The tone of her voice seemed distant and he suddenly grew very anxious. 

“Of course, Scully.”

“How do you really feel about that nickname?” She wouldn't look at him, instead looking straight ahead with a strange expression on her face, illuminated by the reds and greens of stop lights. 

“What do you mean, Scully?” Mulder asked uncertainly. Where had  _ that  _ come from? 

“Well sometimes you seem offended by the nickname and sometimes you don't seem to mind. So how do you really feel?”

Now it was  _ her  _ rendering  _ him  _ speechless, and while the nickname seemed to follow Mulder everywhere he went, the answer as to how he actually felt about it seemed to elude him. 

In fact, it would take him a couple minutes to think up a response, and when he finally did it was less than satisfactory.

“I really don’t know.” Mulder said simply, and Scully finally looked over at him, doubtfully “I guess I like to reclaim it?” He tried again, becoming more sure of himself.

“Kind of… poking fun at yourself?” She supplied helpfully.

“Exactly.”

Another string of silence followed before Mulder thought to ask why Scully had brought it up in the first place.

“How do  _ you  _ feel about it, Scully?”

“What?” She seemed taken off guard, which satisfied him only a little bit before he continued on. 

“Just that. What do you think about the nickname?”

Scully paused, tapping her lips with her index finger as she thought. 

“I don't like it. I don't like how everyone gives you a hard time for no reason.” Her voice sounded sad, and Mulder felt his stomach lurch. How quickly the atmosphere in the car had changed from playful to tense left his head spinning and his heart beating furiously. Scully had to know she was driving him crazy, right?

“I think they have good reason.” Mulder laughed nervously, trying to restore the lighthearted conversation from earlier. 

“No they don't!” Scully snapped, then shrunk back against her words, as if embarrassed of their sudden ferocity. Mulder was shocked, he'd never seen this side of Scully before. 

“Oh.” He said flatly, unsure of what to say to that. 

“I just think…” She sighed, looking away from him again. Her behavior was only getting stranger as time wore on, and it made Mulder more anxious by the minute. 

“What is it, Scully?”

“I just think you're really smart and nice and it's not fair how no one on campus seems to give you a chance.”

Mulder must’ve looked like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth. Scully had once again rendered him speechless. It was becoming a talent of hers.

“You really think that?” Mulder asked, barely above a whisper. He knew it was stupid, but it was also the only thing he could think to say. 

“Well… Yeah.” Scully replied, “It's… It's all true, you know.”

Mulder just nodded, and Scully looked down at her hands. 

A confusing tension settled over the car, and for the first time in awhile their silence wasn't easy. It seemed as if they both had something to say, though neither of them knew exactly  _ how to say it _ .

Mulder wondered if Scully noticed how he'd taken to tapping the steering wheel nervously, just as Scully hoped Mulder wouldn't notice she was nervously playing with the loose string on the frayed sleeve of her sweater. 

Mulder had always had a bit of melodramatic spirit, and now was no exception. He had never considered himself insecure, but that compliment from Scully left him realizing how overdue he was for affection. They couldn't get to the theatre soon enough, it took all of Mulder’s energy not to reach over and take her hand. At least when they got there he could focus on the movie instead of on how intense his crush on Scully had become. Mulder felt like he was going to explode if this kept up much longer. 

Luckily they arrived at the theatre in no time, and the atmosphere finally seemed to change as they paid for their tickets and found their seats.

Scully had smiled and laughed along with Mulder, but as the lights in the theatre dimmed she was just wondering what the hell had gotten into her. Had she really said that? And more importantly, had she really meant it? 

As excited as she was to see the movie, all she could think about was Mulder. Very fitting considering the nature of Re-Animator, but the irony didn't help the restless flurry of her thoughts. 

Did she have a crush on Mulder? She had never entertained the thought, or perhaps never  _ allowed  _ herself to entertain the thought, but after that scene in the car Scully wasn't so sure. It wasn't what she had said, it was her unflinching honesty that had truly rattled her. Even Mulder had noticed it, and considering his habit for digging deep that was saying something. She meant every word she’d said, but that wasn’t what troubled her. What troubled her was what she had wanted to say. If Scully had run purely on impulse she was sure some deeper confession would’ve occurred. Those three words that would change everything, their gravity and what they would meant if she ever let them escape. I love you. It repeated in her head like a prayer, she had denied it for so long but now she realized just how true it was.

Scully glanced over at Mulder, whose eyes were wide with curiosity. She couldn’t help but smile at his amusement. He wasn’t as bad as everyone said, so what were her reservations against dating him?

Scully had never been too interested in romance growing up, she'd had a string of high school boyfriends but each had meant less than the last.

Truthfully, she was more afraid of ruining their friendship over a silly crush. Say she made a move, asked Mulder on a date, even hooked up with him! Who was to say things wouldn't be awkward from there on out? Avoiding gazes, pretending not to know each other in public. Scully knew the game all too well, and it wasn't for her. 

Despite what she'd told Rebecca, she wasn't actually sure Mulder had a crush on her. For all she knew, she could just be projecting her loneliness onto him. 

Caught up in her daydream, Scully was unaware she was staring until Mulder returned the look, flashing her a toothy grin that took Scully’s breath away. It wasn't fair. Mulder was driving her crazy, and he didn't even realize it. 

She looked back at the movie screen, vowing to pay attention despite her nagging thoughts. It actually worked for awhile, until a dangerous idea came flying at her out of nowhere.

The anonymity of the dark theatre made her feel brave, and Scully knew it was silly, but on the other hand she didn't really know what else she wanted to do to quell this urge. She began to find less and less cons of doing what she was about to do. 

Scully’s eyes locked onto the screen, knowing full well that if she took one glance at Mulder she’d lose her nerve, and with great hesitation leaned her head on his broad shoulder. 

She felt him tense up out of surprise then immediately relax as he caught on, and as cliche as it sounded, it felt right.

They stayed that way for about ten minutes before Scully felt the jab of the armrest between them. Mulder must've felt it too because he boldly lifted it up and brought Scully in closer in one fluid motion. 

It was strange but welcome, and Scully snuggled incrementally closer.

She suddenly understood why Mulder had been so nervous when planning this outing. And yeah, maybe this wasn't normal friendship behavior but Scully would be damned if she tried to put a stop to it. 

It was like Scully's worries had evaporated into thin air as soon as he had reciprocated. 

Any lingering doubts she'd held onto before this were long gone now, and if Mulder had wrapped his arm around her at one point during the movie it went right under her radar of concern. 

The realization dawned on her suddenly, that while Mulder drove her crazy, Scully didn't want to be anywhere else but here.

Mulder must've felt the same way because even as the credits rolled they didn't move from their seats. Scully yawned, but otherwise stayed silent as she watched the patrons shuffle out, almost determined not to burst the dreamlike atmosphere the close contact had instilled. 

Mulder mumbled something, just barely audible in the din of the packed theatre. 

“What?” Scully asked, looking up at him. 

“The stairs are too crowded to leave right away.”

“Oh yeah,” Scully nodded, still somewhat distant. 

It wasn't until the last few people were leaving that they parted, standing up and beginning their descent down the aisles. 

Mulder was thankful the silence between them seemed to be amicable this time, but if he was honest with himself his mind was buzzing with questions for Scully.

She'd made a move. She had basically been snuggling with him right there in the theatre! Was it friendly? Was it flirty? How did Dana Scully flirt exactly?

While initially Mulder had looked to her facial expression for cues as to the meaning of this sudden affection, Scully wouldn't look back at him. It confused him to no end. Even now, in their routine comfortable silence she wouldn't look him in the eye, or else she found something incredibly interesting about the stained carpet from the 60’s.

What if Scully was just testing him back there? What if she was stringing him along only to examine the full extent of his feelings and then abandon him? What if Scully just wanted to be friends and he had failed the PDA test or something?

Did girls do that? Would  _ Scully  _ do that? 

In the haze of his worries, anything seemed possible. 

As they walked to through the dark parking lot, Scully startled Mulder by breaking the silence and reading his mind. 

“Was that… Okay?” She sounded as disoriented as he felt, and it comforted him to know that she was trying to keep it together as well. 

“What, the movie? It was good…” Because it really was, at least the parts he could remember, but he knew that wasn't what she was asking.

“No, not that… I'm talking about…” 

The pair stopped in front of Mulder’s car, Scully looked down at her feet again, then back up at him. 

“Mulder…” She sighed.

He couldn't help but notice her staring at him in a way she never had before. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness. 

“I…” Mulder began, before being hit with a sudden burst of clarity. Scully was looking at his lips, or at least it appeared that way. But that wasn't all, Mulder noticed that Scully was blushing, her lips parted in a slight pout. 

In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tilt his head down and kiss her, but to his surprise it was Scully who made the first move.

Standing on her tiptoes, it was more of a peck than anything, soft and fast. No, it couldn't end like that, Mulder thought as she pulled away. He knew he needed more of  _ whatever  _ that was. His own boldness surprised him as he leaned forward, cupping her face and kissing fervently. Scully relaxed into his touch with a soft sigh, like coming home after a long trip. 

In his fantasies (not that he'd ever admit to having them), Mulder was always the one taking control, exploring Scully's mouth and playfully nibbling on her bottom lip. 

However, in real life,  _ Scully _ was the insistent one, and it was Mulder slowly leaning in closer and closer until Scully's back was pressed against the car.  _ She  _ was the one playfully nibbling on his lips and licking his teeth and mouth like it was a map she was charting. Mulder felt overwhelmed, ecstatic with the shock of where this night had taken them. He couldn't help it, he let out a small chuckle, barely above a breath which seemed to vibrate between them. 

Kissing Scully was exhilarating, it left Mulder breathless and ended tragically soon. 

“Look at those people over there making out,” Came a distant voice followed by padding footsteps.  

“Gross.” Another voice chimed in, and although they were feet away and speaking somewhat quietly, it was loud enough to echo across the silent parking lot. 

Mulder pulled away, looking for the source of the noise but only saw two silhouettes retreating in the distance. Unimportant, forgettable. He looked down at Scully. 

She was slightly panting, hair askew and lipstick smeared with her face flushed an even darker shade of red. It was a beautiful site, one Mulder immediately committed to memory.

“I guess this isn't really just a friendly outing anymore, huh?” Mulder couldn't keep the grin off his face.

“I'm sorry Mulder, that was really-”

“What? No, don't apologize. That was great.”

“I don't usually… Do things like that.” Scully was looking down at her feet again.

“No, no. Scully. Come on!” He tilted her chin up with his index finger but she still avoided eye contact. 

“We shouldn't have kissed like that.” She said, as if she was scolding herself more than Mulder. 

“Why not?” He knew she wasn't very open about her feelings, but he wasn't going to let her feel bad about this moment. 

“Well… I shouldn't have…” She seemed to be running out of excuses. 

“Scully, you seem to be forgetting I kissed _back_.” 

“I guess you're right.” His words floored her, Scully couldn't argue with the truth after all, and she finally gave in with a nod. 

“I won't tell anyone you said that, deal?” She finally smiled, and it lit up Mulder’s whole world again. 

“Deal. Now can we go home? I'm freezing.” Scully shivered to emphasize her point. 

“Sure thing.” Mulder replied, smiling back.

And without another word, they began the long trek home. 

If Mulder had to identify what was different about that car ride compared to the other ones he'd shared with Scully, he probably couldn't. In all actuality the car ride was just like any other. They joked around, they teased each other, and they even had their strings of silence, but everything Scully did just seemed magnified somehow. Mulder couldn’t stop marveling at the way she could change the atmosphere in a room on a dime, like flipping a switch.

When they pulled up to Scully’s house, he got out to give her a proper goodbye. For a moment, they just stared at each other silently, as if trying to read each other. Finally, Scully spoke.

“Mulder, I don't really know what I want from... all this…”

“That's alright. Take your time Scully.” A small part of Mulder’s heart sank, taking this as rejection, but his answer seemed to relieve her tension, subsequently relieving his as well. He couldn't help it, it was instinct at this point.

“All I know is that I definitely want to do  _ this _ again.” And with that, Scully gave him a quick peck on the lips again, smiling coyly. Mulder found it endlessly endearing how even after they had  _ made out  _ in an empty parking lot Scully still felt nervous about a quick kiss outside her house. 

“Well that's convenient, because it just so happens I wanted the exact same thing.” He returned the affection with a soft peck to her forehead, “Night, Scully.”

“Goodnight, Mulder.” She smiled and they both went their separate ways, Scully to her house and Mulder to his car, back into the familiarity they had come to depend on. 

He had it bad for her, and even though Mulder didn't know where this would take him, he just knew he never wanted to leave Scully’s side and hoped that wherever this took him, it was somewhere good.

This was a new feeling, one that made him a bit fearful for the future, but he knew as long as Scully was around he'd be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scully looks down at her feet nervously a thousand times during this fic I swear i also switch perspective around a lot, maybe that makes me a bad writer, idrc.  
> haha i hope you enjoyed! it took awhile to like... word everything? and i was so nervous FOR mulder and scully i kept typing like one sentence then blushing intensely and not being able to continue.  
> oh what did you guys think of the new x files episodes? i love them so far.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder wants to talk, but Scully might not be as up for it as he thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally!! y'all sorry for the delay.

Mulder’s classes were really putting him through the grinder lately, requiring him to enlist the help of his only other friends besides Scully to help him study. Surprisingly, Byers wasn't the only one with all the brains in the group. He was just the only one who understood math, and not the simple stuff either. To Mulder, most math was like a foreign language, but to Byers it was like his freakin’ mother tongue. Guy could and _would_ go on for hours about trigonometry and calculus until he was red in the face.

It was kind of amazing.

Frohike was the history buff of the group, lugging around huge books with strange titles Mulder couldn't even begin to try to pronounce. He took it one step further though, not only acing all his tests, but using his skill to fuel his conspiracy theories, which were equally well researched as they were outlandish.

Langly excelled in almost all of his classes, much to Mulder’s dismay, but by far his best subject was science. He'd taken far more classes than necessary in his thirst for knowledge, passing each one with ease. His skill was due, in part, to his keen eye for detail. The guy could probably identify every type of plant by just one glance at a field.

Mulder was just lucky that all of them were terrible enough at English to let him join in on their study sessions at the library, which often ran through the afternoon and long into the night.

It was also really his only chance to see them, as they were all endlessly busy with their erratically conflicting schedules.

It was Monday night, just two days after his movie night with Scully took a surprising turn. Not to say he was upset about that, not by any means.

Kissing Scully was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, he'd felt a little rusty but _she_ was an amazing kisser. It was a little embarrassing to admit, but kissing her actually _meant something_ compared to all his meaningless flings in the past.

What actually troubled him was the amount of time since he'd heard from her. While Mulder wasn't too familiar with the rules of dating, he knew that calling the next day wasn't typical protocol. He’d always been determined not to come off as too clingy, especially throughout all they'd been through as friends, and now was no different.

Nonetheless, all day Sunday he’d waited anxiously by the phone, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn't a little upset about the radio silence from Scully’s end. To Mulder the night had seemed different than the other times they hung out, even before they kissed the atmosphere felt… Intimate? The word was one not often employed by a long time bachelor such as himself, but the proof of intimacy between them was undeniable. Scully was the one who had kissed him first, after all! Still, doubt plagued Mulder insistently, like a frantic pounding in the back of his head.

Was he a bad kisser? Was _that_ what it was? What if she just didn't feel the same way as him? What if Scully had belatedly come to her senses and realized what a freak he was? Would she ever even talk to him again?

Mulder’s heart sank at the thought of Scully not being apart of his life. Whether they were friends or something more, they had actually become quite close in the past months. He really felt he could confide in Scully, and after all they’d been through, it would be a shame to throw it all away over a stupid kiss. Mulder had never really gotten close with anyone like this before, and he hoped this time it wouldn't end up being a big mistake.

These thoughts had been racing in his head endlessly, only growing in intensity as time went on. Mulder could hardly focus on his work, and everyone seemed to notice something was off about him.

“Are you alright?” Byers asked suddenly, pulling him out of his frenzied daydreaming.

“Who, me?” He said, eyes wide and caught off guard.

“Yeah, you just seem quiet today.”

“We know that means _something’s_ wrong,” Frohike chimed in, his tone light but his face etched with concern for his friend.

“Oh, yeah. I guess I'm just kinda distracted today.” Mulder said with a shrug. Though he tried to keep a calm demeanor, it was obvious to his friends that something wasn't right.

“What's up?” Langly said, looking up from his work, eyebrows raised. “Is it about Scully?”

There was a brief pause as Mulder considered not telling them about the kiss, but eventually he sighed, reasoning that there was no one else he could talk to about this kind of thing anyway.

“Yes, but it's not a big deal or anything.”

“What, did she cancel on you?” Byers asked as he closed his textbook carefully, using his notes as a bookmark. The other two quickly followed suit, putting their work on hold to listen attentively.

“No, nothing like that!” Mulder reassured them, taking a deep breath as he prepared to explain himself.

“The movie was awesome, but afterwards when we were walking back to my car… Well, we were just talking and she kissed me out of nowhere.”

The honesty shocked the trio, who were much more accustomed to a closed off Mulder, one who typically wouldn't even _hint_ at something bothering him. They all knew his life wasn't perfect, but around them he always seemed a bit tight lipped on his own worries. Mulder was the type of person who was prone to diverting attention away from himself and onto literally _anything_ else. For him to take center stage like this, without dodging the subject at hand, was a rare sight to say the least.

“Like on the cheek or the lips?”

“Lips. Just a quick one.”

“Then what? Did she like, explain herself?”

“No, I…” Mulder paused, wondering how to put it simply, “I kissed back. A lot.”

An unspoken sigh of relief seemed to flutter over the group, who knew now _this_ was a problem they could attempt solve. It wasn't something so hopeless as being stood up, and as inexperienced as the trio was in romance, each of them knew _Mulder_ well enough to at the very least, assuage his worries.

“You kissed her back… a lot?” Though Byers tone was monotonous, Mulder could pick up on the almost imperceptible mocking.

“You know what I mean,” he said shaking his head and refusing to look at them.

“Is she a bad kisser?” Langly asked, the ghost of a smile on his face.

“No, it's not that.” Mulder said, chuckling dryly.

“Are _you?_ ” Frohike chimed in, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well, I haven't heard from her since Saturday and-”

“You're worried she's ignoring you now?” Byers supplied monotonously, as if it were old news.

“Am I _that_ predictable, Byers?” Mulder was beginning to regret bringing this up to them, but not enough to halt the conversation.

“That's not important right now,” Langly said, stopping Byers before he could reply.

“Why don't you just call her, Mulder?” Frohike asked with a shrug, “What's stopping you?”

“I don't wanna seem clingy.”

“You don't have to call up acting like her boyfriend, just say hi.” Langly scoffed, pulling his work back out and working on it half heartedly.

“What do I even say to her after everything?”

“You could just ask her how she's been.” Byers suggested, before returning to his work as well.

“You think I should do that?”

There was a long pause, wherein Mulder realized that despite the fact that his friends were obviously very smart, maybe they just weren’t qualified to give advice like this.

“Sorry, dude,” Frohike said, cracking open his book with a resigned sigh. “That's about all we got.”

“No, I appreciate the help guys.” Mulder sighed and shook his head.

The suggestions were all helpful, but did nothing to calm his nerves. Mulder didn't know how he was going to approach Scully, or if he even would. No matter how hard he tried to focus on his work, she seemed to invade every line of thought. The idea of calling her, what he might say and what _she_ might say tormented him endlessly.

Eventually, he decided to throw in the towel and head home. His friends looked at him curiously as he said goodbye, but Mulder tried his best to ignore it.

At home, his thoughts were no less restless than they'd been at the library, only now the temptation to call Scully was mounting by the minute.

The only thing real roadblock for Mulder was what he would _say_ to her. Play it cool? Confess his feelings? The options made his head spin, each idea getting scrapped before they could fully form. He was getting tired of this game, and he was sure she would be too if she knew what he was doing.

Mulder reasoned that even though he didn't have a plan, maybe Scully would. Maybe Scully would have enough composure for the both of them.

Unable to take it anymore, he picked up the phone and dialed her number.

She picked up on the third ring, and by that time Mulder wasn't feeling so bold anymore.

“Hello?” Scully said, but her voice sounded raspier than usual.

“Scully?” Mulder asked, the concern in his voice painfully obvious.

“Mulder, is that you?”

“Yeah it's me. Are you sick?” Any reason he had for calling fell to the wayside, now he was just concerned for his potentially ill friend.

“Yeah,” He winced when he heard her turn away from the phone to cough, as it didn't sound good. “I think I caught something at the movies the other day.”

Suddenly, it made perfect sense why she hadn't called. Scully hadn't been ignoring him, she'd been sick. A mixture of guilt and concern washed over him, and Mulder instantly felt like a jerk for ever doubting her.

“What is it you're sick with, exactly?”

“I don't know, probably just a cold. I was feeling a little sick the day before”

“That's weird, I feel fine.” The implication of Mulder’s words only dawned on him after Scully chuckled nervously.

“I didn't mean it like _that_ , Scully! I just-”

“No, I get it.” She said, sounding a bit brighter aside from her sniffles and sore throat. At least someone was enjoying his embarrassing attempts at socializing.

“No offense, Scully, but you sound awful.” He chuckled, grateful for the distance so she wouldn't see the obnoxious blush coloring his features.

Although at this point, it was a sight Scully had probably gotten used to.

“Oh, thanks.” She quipped back sarcastically, after a brief coughing fit.

“Do you need anything?” Mulder asked cautiously after a short silence.

“Like what?” She asked, sounding a bit hesitant herself.

Was that a weird offer to make? It had seemed like the right thing to say, but he wasn't sure if Scully felt up to seeing anyone right now, let alone Mulder.

“I don't know, soup? Medicine? Whatever you want.”

“Don't you have class work to be doing?” There was a smile lingering in her voice despite her light nagging.

“Don’t _you?”_ Mulder retorted, smiling to himself.

“This wouldn't just happen to be an excuse to see me, would it, Mulder?”

“Of course not, Scully! I only want to help a sick friend.”

“So what would you say if I told you to leave the medicine on the front door and leave?”

“I uh…” Mulder cleared his throat, “I would be okay with that, I suppose.”

“ _Really?_ ” She asked, and he had a feeling that if she were here right now one of her eyebrows would be quirked up incredulously. The mental image made him smile.

“Well I… Probably wouldn't like that, honestly.” Mulder laughed, but it had a nervous edge to it. Was this flirting? Scully could be so perceptive sometimes, even now, when she was as sick as a dog she still had that keen sense of what was going on. He wanted to see her now more than ever.

“Okay, Mulder. I actually _do_ need some things.”

“Really?” His voice perked up immediately which, to his delight, actually made Scully laugh.

“Yeah, and you can actually come in too.”

“What do you need, Scully?”

“Some NyQuil and tissues?”

“NyQuil and tissues okay, anything else?”

“Oh! Get Twizzlers!”

“That’s funny, I didn't know Twizzlers were medicinal.” The smile in his voice was undeniably clear as his enthusiasm seemed to spill over into all his actions and speaking patterns. He was going to see Scully!

“Come on, I'll pay you back.” Mulder could tell from her voice that the request embarrassed her a bit, but now all he could focus on was seeing her again after everything that happened Saturday.

“Okay well, I'll go pick that up for you and then head over, okay?”

“Okay.”

“See you soon.”

And with that, Mulder was off to be Scully’s faithful little errand boy. Someone with more willpower than him may have called him desperate, but for the time being he was happy.

It wasn’t until he had actually bought the stuff and was on his way to her place that he actually thought to wonder why Rebecca hadn't picked up something for her. They'd presumably known each other longer than Mulder had known Scully, and Rebecca was her roommate, after all. It wasn’t too early for her to be at classes, unless they had different schedules? Was she too busy? Mulder was currently busy with classwork, (or at least he should be) but he still ran up to the pharmacy to pick up a few things. So why didn’t Rebecca?

Scully had asked _him,_ or perhaps more accurately, he'd offered and she’d tentatively accepted. Did this mean she wanted to see him too or did she just want free stuff? Because honestly, he wasn't going to take her money. Even if Scully had been serious about leaving the items on her doorstep, Mulder knew he still would’ve make the trip up here. Maybe that made him pathetic, but she was sick, it was the least he could do to bring her some NyQuil and tissues.

Mulder finally arrived at Scully’s house and bounded eagerly up to her door, knocking tentatively. After a couple minutes, she emerged, half hidden behind the door.

“Hey Scully,” Mulder said, smiling widely and brandishing the plastic bag like a trophy. She opened the door and let him in wordlessly, Mulder set the bag on the coffee table and took in his surroundings.

It was clear from the multitude of blankets and used tissues that Scully had taken up residence on the couch, the TV was running some old reruns, and the bag he'd brought crinkled as Scully dug through it.

“Thanks, Mulder.” She rasped, pulling out a Twizzler and chewing on it slowly.

It was at this time Mulder took in her appearance. Her eyes were cast downward, yet the heavy bags under were still present as she nervously picked at her arm with her free hand. Her autumn hair was messy, but still just as soft looking as every other time he'd seen her. She looked up at him, finally, and Mulder tore his eyes away, his heart beating fast at having been caught staring.

“Do I look that bad?” Scully said as she crawled back into her nest of blankets and pillows.

“No way, Scully.” He'd actually been wondering how it was possible for someone to still look so gorgeous even while sick, but it probably wasn't the best time to bring that up.

“You can sit down if you want.” Scully said when she noticed him still standing by the door awkwardly. He started for the empty love seat next to the big couch, but changed courses when he saw Scully scoot her blanket nest over and pat the empty space on the couch next to her.

“Are you sure?” He said, kicking off his shoes and sitting down next to her, “I don't wanna ruin your setup here.”

“It's alright, I don't mind.”

The gesture was small, but it lit a spark in Mulder’s brain. Was this a sign of affection or was Scully just being as polite as always?

“Want one?” Scully asked, disregarding all her medical training to offer him a Twizzler even though she was sick.

“No thanks.” Mulder paused before continuing further, “Why Twizzlers?”

“Hmm?” She asked, wrenching her eyes away from the television to gaze at him curiously.

“NyQuil and tissues makes sense, but why Twizzlers?”

“I don’t know,” Scully shrugged, “They’re my favorite.”

Mulder simply noded as they both stared at the TV, which neither were really paying attention to. The old movie that was playing served more as a backdrop for their frenzied thoughts anyway, Mulder wondering why Scully had agreed to letting him come and Scully wondering if they were going to talk about what happened Saturday.

“Hey Scully,” Mulder began again after a long pause, “Where's Rebecca?”

“Oh, she's hanging out with her new boyfriend.” The way Scully said it, with a hint of disdain and a small eyeroll, indicated there was more to be gleaned from what she said.

“Boyfriend?”

“Yeah between him and our different class schedules, I don't really see her that much anymore.”

“How often does she see him?”

Scully shrugged, before going into a coughing fit, shaking her head and grimacing when it finally passed.

“You alright there?” Mulder asked, patting her back gently. The movement felt natural, and Scully let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned into his touch tiredly.

“Sorry, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't want you to stick around just cause you feel bad.”

“Do you... want me to leave, Scully?”

“No I…” She shook her head, “I don't know.”

Mulder was confused. Was this sudden distance due to something _he'd_ done? It seemed every time he got close to Scully, she got spooked and backed away, even if it was clear she was enjoying herself. Miraculously, the more this game went on, the more crazy he was for her.

“I like seeing you Scully.” It was a risky move to be so honest, especially considering what that had brought them to before, but it was true.

Scully’s breathing seemed to change for half a second, a small hitch that would've been easily missed had he not been paying close attention. She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped, as if lost in thought. Mulder wondered why this had become routine. Why pregnant pauses and long stretches of silence had become the norm, when all he really wanted was to speak candidly about what happened between them. What was _happening_ between them, because Mulder was convinced it hadn’t ended after the kiss.

“I like seeing you too, Mulder.” She said it as if it were obvious, and yet again they seemed to be getting nowhere with this.

“I'm glad.” He said, taking a gamble by wrapping his arm around Scully and snuggling closer.

Despite the odd distance she'd just dished out, she didn't pull back, instead resting her head on his chest, as her eyes eventually fluttered shut.

She was too sick to talk about this right now, that much was obvious. Mulder would try to talk to her again when she felt better, he reasoned.

Still, he couldn't get over her almost insistence on being alone. He thought back to Scully waiting on her porch for Mulder to pick her up. Had Rebecca been home then? Had she been home when Scully first felt sick? How alone _was_ Scully? And was she _really_ as content with being alone as she made herself out to be? Part of him wondered if because she'd spent so much time alone she wasn't quite used to consistent company. Scully always did seem like a lone wolf, but then again so had Mulder until he'd met her.

Right now, all he could focus on was the weight of Scully’s head on his chest as she dozed. His heart was beating so fast he was worried it would wake her, but she seemed thoroughly knocked out. Mulder slowly shifted into a more comfortable position, being careful not to disturb her. She shifted almost imperceptibly and wrapped an arm around his chest, clutching at his shirt almost insistently in her sleep. Scully had trapped him, and there was no way he was getting out of this position now.

Mulder knew he was going to catch her cold, but at this point he didn't care.

He'd take the sniffling and coughing so long as it meant he got to be closer to Scully, even if for a fleeting, strange, confusing moment.

He probably loved her, that was a scary thought, but once it formed Mulder couldn't put it back. He'd wake up in the middle of the night missing her, convincing himself not to feel that way, but Scully wasn't helping with this situation either. She only added fuel to the flame with the way she always seemed to defend Mulder, even when it seemed like no one else would. He gently threaded his fingers through her hair, smoothing out the tangles absentmindedly. He loved her, he knew that much had to be true, but did Scully love him back?

It was something that had once seemed impossible, but now he was starting to see evidence of affection everywhere. What else could all this mean?

Mulder thought he knew what it was like to have a crush on someone, but for once in his life he was utterly lost as to what to do. A shadow of doubt still lingered in the back of his mind, too scared that everything would go wrong and he'd lose a dear friend.

He looked down at Scully, who was still sleeping soundly, and realized he was content to wait. Scully wasn't ignoring him, even when she avoided confrontation she still found her own way to express affection for him. Whatever they had right now wasn't cold, and for now, that was alright with him. He would wait, and when Scully felt better they would actually discuss things, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Mulder hadn't realized he himself had dozed off until he woke, for a moment not realizing where he was. It was only when he felt Scully’s head, which had somehow shifted to his lap in sleep, that he remembered. The house was dark save for the TV, which cast an eerie glow over the whole room.

“Hey Scully,” he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. She finally stirred, groaning and stretching as she sat up.

“What time is it?” She asked groggily, pushing stray hairs out of her face and looking around, “Did I fall asleep?”

“I think it's about 6:30.” Mulder replied, yawning and shaking his head to clear the grogginess. It had been about 2 when he'd come over, so they'd been knocked out for awhile.

“Oh shit.” Scully remarked indifferently.

“Rebecca still not back yet?” Mulder asked as he stood, moving towards the light switch. “Watch your eyes, I gotta find my shoes.”

“I don't know.” She replied, still sounding groggy as she shielded her eyes from the sudden light. Mulder located and pulled on his beat up tennis shoes as Scully turned off the TV and began throwing away the used tissues.

“Want me to help you with that?” He asked, emptying the plastic bag he'd brought and using it as an impromptu garbage bag. “Where's your trash can?”

Scully produced a small plastic can, which had been tucked into a small nook on the side of the couch, he supposed for convenience.

“I should probably head out, Scully.” Mulder said apologetically. He hated to leave her alone like this, but staying over seemed strange and invasive. He definitely didn’t want to overstay his welcome.

“You should probably get some rest, in a _real_ bed, alright?” His tone bordered on solemn and concerned, but she simply nodded and looked around the living room silently, as if what he said had barely registered.

“Will you help me with…?” She finally said, flapping her hand in the direction of the blankets.

“Of course.”

Mulder grabbed various pillows and blankets, making sure to leave the lighter load for Scully. It would be a miracle if he wasn't sick by now with all the time he'd spent in her presence. He made a mental note to take an aspirin or something when he got home, the last thing he wanted was to get sick. That wouldn't exactly help the whole intense discussion Mulder was pushing for as soon as Scully recovered.  

He followed her up the stairs wordlessly as she lead him to her room, picking up any blankets Scully dropped. Mulder felt immense pity for her as she gripped the railing, head leaning on the wall for balance. Finally they made it to her room, and Scully barely had enough energy to turn on a lamp and collapse onto her bed.

In any other context, Mulder might’ve felt some giddiness at seeing Scully’s room for the first time, but now all he could think about was her being as comfortable as possible.

“Do you want all these extra blankets or are you good?” Mulder asked, holding up his armful of blankets.

Scully just nodded, arms outstretched and reaching for them. Poor thing was so worn out, Mulder really hated to leave her all by herself.

Not only did he give her the blankets, but he also helped spread them out, ensuring Scully was all tucked in and bundled up. Mulder fell into it naturally, the motion reminiscent of the days when Samantha stayed home sick and he’d have to pitch in.

It was strange that Scully was allowing him to do this, considering how she hated relying on others, but at the moment she seemed too tired to speak up.

“Will you be alright by yourself?” He asked softly, still worrying over her as always.

“Yeah, of course. I'll be fine.” She nodded insistently, and the classic Scully wit was back, albeit a bit distant from the cold.

“Okay well, I'm gonna head out.”

“It was…” She paused to cough, “It was nice to see you Mulder.”

It seemed difficult for her to say that, and not just because of her sore throat. He smiled at her and then did something quite bold, reaching down he brushed some hair from her warm forehead and kissed the skin there softly. He heard a small gasp, just barely audible.

“It was nice to see you too, Scully.” He whispered, leaving before he could regret what he'd just done.

Mulder then calmly walked down the stairs, out the front door and onto the sidewalk without a second thought.

However, the whole car ride home he couldn't stop worrying about her, hoping she really _would_ be okay, that she would get better soon. He felt a nervous kind of twitch that no doubt stemmed from anxiety, that caused him to gnaw on his thumbnail at every red light when he wasn’t preoccupied with driving. Mulder found it exceedingly difficult to convince himself Scully would be okay, despite what she said. Above all it really broke his heart that her roommate seemed so distant lately, especially at such an inopportune time. As soon as he got home, Mulder hightailed it to the bed, too exhausted to analyze much more of the day’s event.

It was while laying in his empty bed that he really felt it's emptiness for the first time. Suddenly, it seemed as though his bed was oceans wide. Mulder realized with an almost cruel ache in his heart that he wished Scully was there, somehow. He hadn’t regretted kissing her on the forehead, as he thought he would. Instead he regretted not staying with Scully. Mulder didn’t even care if it would make him sick, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. He wondered if she would’ve said yes, if she would’ve leaned into his touch. As he drifted to the edge of sleep, Mulder hoped she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOah isnt thAT JUST wow. heh you thought they were gonna work it out


End file.
